Victim Advocate Services

Dove House has a full time Victim Advocate on staff who works directly with the families who come through Dove House for up to a three year period.  She greets each family at the front door when they arrive at Dove House and makes them feel immediately at ease and welcome.  As the interview with the child victim is taking place, our Victim Advocate uses this time to get to know the parent/guardian and makes an assessment of the overall needs of the family.  She assists the child and family through the investigation process as well as the court process, providing emotional support and assisting with counseling referrals.  Encouraging and referring child victims and non-offending family members to follow through with appropriate counseling services is an integral part of our Victim Advocate’s job.

Prior to a case actually going to trial, our Victim Advocate will assist the prosecutor in taking the child through “court school”, familiarizing the child and family with the courtroom.  This helps greatly to ease the child’s fears about what will happen in court.  Throughout the duration of each case, our Victim Advocate stays in constant touch with the child and non-offending family members, consistently assessing each family’s needs, checking on counseling progress, and keeping them informed of all aspects of their case, including perpetrator status, court dates, etc.   When required, our Victim Advocate schedules meetings between the child/family and the Assistant District Attorney to discuss the legal aspects of their case.  All follow-up meetings with the child and family (e.g. court preparation, etc.) take place in our friendly, non-intimidating atmosphere of Dove House, rather than a sterile office environment.  Some families need support beyond the court process; in these situations, our Victim Advocate offers referrals for long-term services that are needed. 

Our Victim Advocate constantly receives training that enhances her skills and knowledge, enabling her to be highly effective in helping our families with a variety of needs.